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Xander
Xander (known in Japan as Marx) is the crown prince of Nohr and one of the main characters of Fire Emblem Fates. He's also considered one of the dumbest characters in the series, which is really saying something considering he shares a game with Corrin. Who is Xander? As the crown prince of Nohr and the oldest of Garon's surviving children, Xander is an important character regardless of path. In Birthright, he satnds against you in the name of his father. In Conquest, he stands against you in the name of his father. In Revelation, he stands against you in the name of his father. He's considered a member of the Camus archetype, but unlike most of the other members of the archetype, who oppose the character because of either an obligation to their country or for other good reasons, Xander does so, even after joining your team, because, as the quote says, FATHER CAN'T BE EVUUUUUL. Of note about the archetype is that even Kaga, the creator of the series, retconned the original Camus' reasoning in Mystery of the Emblem by implying that he also knew about how the king's cihldren were hostages, and in Gaiden, an amnesiac Camus joined you in the name of his new nation. Meanwhile, Eldigan, the next most famous Camus and also created by Kaga, ended up suffering greatly for being a Camus. Moral of the story: If even the creator thinks this is a stupid archetype, it shouldn't still be in use. Xander in Fates At the start of Fates, before you can realize it's a tranwreck, Xander seems pretty decent. He trains with Corrin, and... that's about it. Leo's the only character who really gets any moments before the split. But then, when the split happens, Xander serves as the Nohrian trying his hardest to get you back. How hard, you ask? Well, you can skip right down to the Revelation section if you'd like to know. If Revelation weren't supposed to be played last (even though it recycles maps and plot points from the other two), this wold be your first hint that something's wrong with Xander (as well as everyone else, but they'll get their time. This is Xander's page). Birthright Xander's at first pretty horrified that Corrin would choose people claiming to be his family even though he has no reason to believe them over the people he's grown up with and a terrorist for a father, but as soon as Corrin points this out, Xander completely changes and tries to kill Corrin. From here on out, you'd think that he'd become a recurring antagonist, but nope, outside of the opera chapter, he doesn't appear again until you invade Nohr at the end of the game. He actually finds Elise eavesdropping on Father at one point, but because he can't be evuuuuul™, Xander warns her that she'll be executed if she's caught. That's it until near the very end. So Chapter 26 comes, and it's time for you to fight Xander, which doubles as a callback to the training the two of you would always do. (Yeah, there's also a similar callback with Leo, and Birthright is the only path that does this. Gee, I wonder why.) Naturally, he utterly demolishes Corrin (remember, Corrin isn't a character who undergoes any development or becomes any stronger throughout the story), but just before the final blow can be struck, Corrin sends him to the future Elise jumps in the way and sacrifices herself so that the two of them will stop fighting. Remember, even Elise didn't want you to kill Garon, but she still helped you invade Nohr because she's the only consistent character in the game. But yeah, Xander's actually killed Elise. Yeah, the imouto loli dies, We're just as shocked as you, especially since Conquest doesn't do anything remotely similar. Moving on. Xander, completely forgetting what Elise has just told him, decides to commit suicide by Corrin. (As a side note, his two retainers also die here. It's actually pretty satisfying killing Peri, but it makes no sense with Laslow here even though the Heirs of Fate DLC shows that he's only in Nohr in the first place to help Corrin.) Let me repeat that. Elise died so that the two could stop fighting, and Xander decides to goad Corrin into killing him anyway. It completely ruins what had until that point been one of Fates' few good scenes. Anyway, he makes an allusion to Conquest and dies. Then he appears in the Deathly Hallows ripoff at the end when Corrin sees him, Elise, Lilith (dragon thing who reappeared in the story after like 20 chapters just to die, but it's handled even worse in Conquest), and Flora (the hottest character in the game). He still loves Corrin, and thanks to the power of plot, he encourages Corrin to win against Father. Or something. The only possible reason for this 180 is that the real Garon is in the afterlife and told Xander the truth, but then why isn't Garon in the afterlife too? Come to think of it, why is Elise cool with Xander being there in the first place? But Fates writing aside, with Xander dead, the throne goes to Camilla... who pes it onto Leo. Why? Well, mentally, she's clearly incapable of ruling. There's also the possibility that ism is involved (which is pretty clear when you look at Fates as a whole. Only the male royals get divine weapons, and the females are ed up far more than the males), but no one really cares since Leo is popular anyway despite being as bland as it gets (but in terms of FE, he's not exactly alone there). And... that's it, really. Xander's least offensive appearance is in the one game where he's supposed to oppose you from start to finish. Isn't that something? Conquest You join Nohr, and Xander's pretty happy that you're back. They return to Nohr, and Corrin calls Garon out for being a terrorist, but Garon orders Xander to kill him in retaliation. This ends up being the only moment in all three games where Xander actually goes against his father because Corrin's perfect, and the only people who don't love Corrin are terrible villains who die a horrible death. Even people like Takumi and Garon don't actually hate Corrin and are just possessed. Anyway, it turns out that Garon's easily able to blackmail Xander moving forward with the "let me try to kill Corrin, or you'll do it" thing. And Xander never actually has it in him to rebel against Garon. The most he can do is sabotage Garon's attempts to kill Corrin, which actually makes things worse for Corrin. Even if he's not in full-on FATHER CAN'T BE EVUUUUL mode yet, this is still where the idea that Xander's an originates. Later on, Xander sends his two retainers to save Corrin from a Hoshidan ambush instead of going himself because of reasons. Of note is that after this chapter, Corrin realizes that Nohr is a tyrannical nation and begins his plight to defeat Hoshido without actually killing anyone, which allows Hans (someone Xander locked up before the game started, but guess who didn't really protest when he was made into one of Garon's generals) and Iago (we don't talk about Iago) to slaughter everyone. Xander doesn't appear for a while after this, but it shows that he's not the only character in the game who's an, which is something? But the only person Xander sucks up to remotely as much as Garon is Corrin (which is surprising considering Xander's debatably a larger obstacle than Garon himself). When you discover that Shura was sent by the Hoshidans to kill Corrin (Glorious Nippon may have skeletons in its closet - also see when Ryoma threatened to let Elise die if Corrin didn't come back - but is still considered the proper path in all three versions of the game), Xander, of course, wants him dead, but he leaves it up to Corrin even though Camilla and Leo, two siblings far more qualified to lead than Corrin, also want him dead. Surprisingly (well, not so much at this point since Corrin never faces any real strife or consequences), the in never betrays you. Then we hit the Thanksgiving chapter, quite possibly the worst in the series and the one where Xander's arguably at his worst! The gist of it is that a Nohrian has captured all four Hoshidan royals and can kill them now and end the war, but Xander orders their release because he doesn't want to fight a dishonest war. Yeah, you read that right. If the four Hoshidans are killed now, they won't have to invade Hoshido and kill the many, many civilians and warriors they're about to kill. But nope, Xander wants "a fair war." Form the same serious that accurately showed just how horrifying warfare is in Radiant Dawn and treated Micaiah as a tyrant for attempting to end a war with devastating tactics. But rather than our take, there's a better summary on Reddit. The (Socio)Path of Azura also did this chapter. Moving on! You take the fort Sakura and her retainers are holding. Xander, following the perfect Corrin's orders, wants to save everyone, but Garon orders every last prisoner to be executed. Xander doesn't resist because of what you're surely tired of reading by now: FATHER CAN'T BE EVUUUUUL. Although Sakura and her retainers survive (and aren't scarred in the slightest) because reasons. And then, right at the end, the game remembers that Iago and Hans are still alive. Thing is, they're still doing Father's bidding, and Corrin's powerless without Xander's help, so what happens? They decide to kill Corrin right in front of all of the Nohrians, and since this is Conquest, Xander would never dream of harming Corrin. Hans and Iago die, and then Corrin says that they're not done yet because they have to kill Garon. That's right. Xander's so horrified by Corrin's insinuation that Garon's evil that he's finally willing to kill Corrin after it blackmailed him in the early game. So in a sense, Xander's undergone some character development too. But it gets better. All of the Nohrians are horrified when they see Slime Garon (to be fair, so were we) and refuse to attack, so he attacks them. Still, Xander's just there. Take a wild guess what prompts Xander's change. If you guessed that Garon attacks Corrin, don't bother patting yourself on the back since that's the only shred of consistency Xander has. So then they kill Slime Garon, and Xander becomes the king of Nohr. Also, the invasion of Hoshido's left the entier kingdom with a total population of like 2, but don't worry, there's a permanent peace treaty (those exact words are used, yes), so everything's OK now. Revelation Corrin picks neither side, and Ryoma and Xander get confused and try to kill him instead. Because that's how it works. Later on, there's a chapter where he fights Ryoma. Azura calms them down because of her song ex machina, but while Ryoma immediately joins Corrin, Xander refuses to listen. We actually get this exchange. He also is furious with Camilla. Leo suggests that something's wrong with Father, but Xander thinks it's nothing. He only decides to side with Corrin when he conveniently hears Garon chanting about how he'll destroy both Hoshido and Nohr. Yeah, really. But if you take out Nohr, then Xander easily would've stayed on his side. And that's it for Xander's presence in Revelation. The rest of the game is just the Birthright cast in Valla feat. Azura. He also becomes the king of Nohr because Garon was eaten by Anankos, but the game glossed right over that, so so will we. The wiki says that he forges new ties with Corrin, who now rules over Valla (with Azura at his side because come on, you know that's what's canon, even if it's incest). but that's only because Revelation's writers seem to have forgotten that Corrin had to make it in Valla in time because the path is apparently only open once every few decades. Which creates a whole new array of plot holes (with the biggest one being the children, probably), so in the case of the ending, this could very well be the last time any of the siblings see Corrin, but everyone seems to have forgotten that. And then that's it. Xander in Heroes In Heroes, Xander, like the other characters, is bound by a contract to serve Veronica. However, unlike the others, he remains in her service out of loyalty and because he apparently sees some good in her, which actually... comes off as a parody of himself in Fates. He ends up fighting at her side in 9-5, the final chapter in the base game, but there's no dialogue. He's now available as of his Grand Hero Battle back in May. Also, he got a spring costume. And then a summer costume. But we're not done yet! As of the Sacred World paralogues, only six months later, Xander makes his first reappearance in the story, where he's still a general of Veronica's army. He believes that Seth actually cares about her, which he says, so Seth ends up unintentionally saying a few things that hurt her feelings. Good job, Xander. Xander in Warriors He's in Warriors. He appears to be fighting alongside Corrin and Ryoma, which would suggest Revelation, but the recent Awakening trailer indicates that the game takes place at the beginning of (or even before) Awakening, so if the same can be said for Fates... hoo boy. If nothing else, Hyrule Warriors was a bad fanfic, so if Fire Emblem Warriors follows that, this should still be the best Xander's ever been written. Now we know that the Nohrians and Hoshidans do in fact work together... at some point. It definitely looks to be going the Revelation route, but that's about all we know as far as the "plot" goes. Xander in Smash Smash ruined Xander's character. Rather than immediately try to kill Corrin for choosing to Smash instead, he merely expresses confusion. Xander vs. Camus Xander is apparently supposed to be the Camus of the game. Let's look at some of their traits. Camus *Fierce loyalty to Grust *In love with Nyna, but she's not enough to make him change sides *Dies for Grust and its people *After developing amnesia, defects from the Rigelian army to fight a tyrant commander and remains with someone who goes upa gainst the emperor *Leaves a few times even after regaining his memory but remains bound to Rigel for the rest of his life out of love *Returns to Archanea just to make sure Grust is OK *It's implied he never even thought of defecting because King Grust's twins were held hostage in the first war; once they're safe, he remains on Marth's side *He saves Nyna from Medeus before leaving again forever *He fiercely denies being Camus while there, but Kris sees his face, and Belf finds out the truth. He feels confident that Belf can carry on his legacy Xander *Father can't be evuuuuul *Anyone who goes against Nohr deserves to die *Corrin's perfect *Nohr only wins wars honorably I guess the biggest difference is that Camus undergoes development, but even when it comes to loyalty, Xander's far more of a zealot than Camus is. But the two really aren't that similar, and Camus has far more ot him than simple loyalty. But even then, he has several reasons for that loyalty. Xander's given not a single one and is loyal just because. Is Father Evuuuuuul? No, he can't be. I mean... *He's a terrorist *He tries to kill Corrin several times *He orders every single dancer in the opera place to be put to death *Hans, a criminal, is a general in his army *He slaughters countless civilians *He's a slime monster Nah, he can't be- *He tried to kill Corrin He is! He is evuuuuuul! Xander's Retainers We don't talk much about Xander's retainers. You'll see why just below. Laslow Actually Inigo from Awakening, Laslow was brought over to find and protect Corrin, which is exactly why he can attempt to kill Corrin in Birthright and Revelation. He also never acknowledges Corrin (outside of supports) or his mission or anything. But at least he goes back to Ylisse in the ending? Also, he's slightly more mature than he was in Awakening, so... that's something, I guess? Peri Because Ms. Kill Kill Stab Stab Tommy Pickles is obviously someone who should be in the service of the Crown Prince of Nohr instead of an asylum. She straight up kills random people just because. There's absolutely nothing redeeming about her. Even her endings are terrible. If she marries Laslow or Odin, she goes back to Ylisse with them and slaughters countless. If she marries anyone else, she slightly mellows. If she remains single, Xander makes her a general so that she can channel all of her murderous tendencies into that (even though there's absolutely no reason given for why Nohr would continue to be at war). Yeah, in a game filled with the worst cast in the series (which is saying something considering Shadow Dragon barely even has any actual characters), Peri stands out as the worst of the worst. Siegfried A divine weapon or something. Xander just has one, and that's it. We're never actually given a reason or told anything about this outside of the Rainbow Sage (clearly important since he appears for about one chapter per game) crafting them to fight dragons in the past or something? And now Xander has it? Yeah, there's a reason the Fates continent is called Nolore when after Fateslandia. Also, his son Siegbert inherits Siegfried in Heirs of Fate, but that DLC isn't really worth mentioning either. The writing's still pretty bad, and it ends with a copout on the level of Awakening's ending. Trivia *Father can't be evuuuuuuul. *His son, as with most of Fates' children, is considerably more boring. *Slime Garon is a better father than he is. At least Slime Garon's always there for him. *He's apparently the second most popular male in the game, but he placed considerably worse in the Choose Your Legends poll, losing to Takumi, Leo, Niles, and Corrin. He placed 42nd total. *He can't swim. Probably because of all that armor and the horse. 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